The national government’s holiday economics by re-scheduling of holidays to have a long weekend is a big boost to the efforts for a full-blown resurgence of the country’s tourism industry, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said.

Frasco explained that the long weekends are a potential catalyst for a substantial boost to the country's domestic tourism sector.

“We see these upcoming extended weekends as a timely opportunity, specifically advantageous in propelling domestic tourism forward. These breaks play in not only in revitalizing but also in sustaining the vital tourism sector, which remains a cornerstone in propelling our country’s economic resurgence by providing opportunities for livelihood and employment,” said Frasco.

“There’s an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm among travelers eager to make up for lost time, engaging in what has come to be known as ‘revenge travel’. This fervor aligns with the steadfast strategies outlined in the Philippines’ National Tourism Development Plan aggressively pursued by the DOT,” she added.

The DOT earlier recorded 5.45 million international visitors’ arrivals in 2023.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier noted 102 million domestic trips, which it said contributed to P1.5 trillion to domestic tourism expenditure.

Among the overall PHP1.87 trillion in internal tourism expenditure, inclusive of spending by foreign visitors and Filipinos residing abroad, a substantial PHP1.5 trillion was directly attributed to domestic tourism spending. 

Frasco said that these economic contributions stemmed from expenses by local visitors, encompassing both domestic trips and components of international travel occurring within the country's borders. 

She then encouraged Filipinos to take advantage of the long weekends.